Electrical time controlled switching arrangement



Sept 17, 1957 r A, As ET AL 2,806,909

ELECTRICAL TIME CONTROLLED SWITCHING ARRANGEMENT Filed Oct. 20. 1953 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS A n'lo 7 Had BY Manfred Kulwz Sept 17, 1957 H ET AL 2,805,909

ELECTRIC AL TIME CONTROLLED SWITCHING ARRANGEMENT Filed Oct. 20. 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOM Anzavz /cz-zs By Min/rel K0111 United States Patent ELECTRICAL TIME CONTROLLED SWITCHING ARRANGEMENT Anton Haas and Manfred Kuhn, Schramberg, Wurttemberg, Germany Application October 20, 1953, Serial No. 387,251

Claims priority, application Germany October 21, 1952 4 Claims. (Cl. 200--) Object of the present invention is an electric switching mechanism of the kind which is controlled by an alarm clock in such a way that the switching members of the switching mechanism are controlled as to closing or interrupting an electric circuit when the alarm clock is tripped. The aim of the invention is to provide a construction in which the well proved designs of construction of alarm clocks are utilized. A switching mechanism according to the invention furthermore is of simple construction, reliable and is capable of switching high electric current.

The main feature of the invention is a mercury switch, mounted to oscillate between abutments, and is frictionally controlled and driven by the arbor of the alarm mechanism of a time clock which carries the driving spring of the alarm mechanism. Preferably the mercury switch itself is frictionally mounted on the arbor of the said alarm spring so that the mercury switch may oscillate between the abutments. According to another form of the invention the arbor of the alarm spring is arranged in a vertical position while the axle of the oscillatory mercury switch has its predetermined horizontal arrangement so that the entire mechanism is so constructed that a cam or the like element is frictionally provided on the vertical alarm spring arbor; said cam and a cam-like finger moves in a horizontal circle and engages a slanting shoulder of the supporting member of the mercury switch, said supporting member being arranged to oscillate about a horizontal axis. In such a case the friction controlled coupling means of the cam and alarm spring arbor preferably consists of an extension of the said cam which forms an eyelet. The eyelet is mounted between an abutting I shoulder and a helical spring on a part of the shaft of the alarm spring axle to be oscillatory under friction.

The invention can as well be applied in the case of short time measuring devices equipped with an alarm mechanism such as are provided for the measuring of a time up to 30 min. or min. in laboratories, hairdressing shops, kitchens and the like. The invention can also be used in connection with alarm clocks for measuring the time of an entire day; and in the latter case the mercury switch may be arranged in the circuit of the lamp of a sleeping room or of a radio receiver.

An arrangement according to the invention is shown in the following drawings, of which Fig. 1 is a side view of a short time measuring device, said device being equipped with a winding key which at the same time acts as a time indicating hand,

Fig. 2 is a rear view of a time measuring device according to Figure 1,

Fig. 3 is a side view partly in section showing a detail,

Figs. 4 to 6 are views similar to Figs. 1 to 3 showing further details of a diiferent type which serve for supporting the mercury switch;

Fig. 7 is a side view showing another embodiment of the invention,

Figs. 8 and 10 are side views showing the same arrangement, said views being seen from a direction perpendicular to the main plane of the mercury switch, and

Patented Sept. 17, 1957 Fig. 9 is a view of the same from the lower side.

The supporting plates and posts of a short time measuring device are marked by 1, 2 and 3; the hand of the clock being marked by 5, said hand being arranged on the hand arbor 4. The hand 5 simultaneously serves as a Winding key and therefore is provided with lugs 5a, 5b. The driving spring 7 of the time work is wound up by means of the hand 5 and the interaction of the arbor 4 and an interconnected friction coupling 6. The alarm mechanism driving spring 13 is wound up by the action of the gears 8, 9, the lug 10, the cam 11, and the axle 12, a friction controlled coupling 14 being arranged between the axle 12 and gear 15, the latter being the driving gear for the alarm mechanism. The time mechanism and the alarm mechanism are not shown is the figures of the drawing for the sake of greater simplicity. The tripping of the alarm mechanism is caused by a tripping arbor, not shown, said arbor carrying a tripping lever 16, which, reaching through a perforation in the front plate 2 (Fig. 1) co-operates with a controlling finger 17 provided on the shaft 4 of the hand 5.

Short time measuring devices of the mentioned type are already well known. A feature according to the present invention is the arrangement of the mercury switch tube 18, which at its ends is supported by the bent end parts 19a, 19b of the tube supports 19.

Besides the end 1% a further lug is provided on the tube support 19 by bending such that a finger 21 is sticking into the gap between end 19b and lug 190 with its end 21a. This finger 21 acting as a cam is provided with a slotted eyelet 21b by which it is under frictional contact attached to the shaft 22a of a screw 22, which is threaded into the end of the alarm spring arbor 12 extending over the rear plate 1. In such a Way the tube support 19 is loosely rotatable on the shaft 22a; the finger 21 serving the purpose of producing a friction controlled connection between the arbor 12 the tube support 19. In order to limit the oscillatory movement of the tube support a pin 23 is provided as an abutment, the other abutment being the arbor 4 of the hand.

The function of the arrangement is such that the support 19 of the mercury switch tube 18 is tilted when the spring arbor 12 is wound up due to the action of the finger 21, 21a by a rotation in counter-clock direction till it abuts the pin 23.

When the hand 5 is turned further, finger 21 will slide on axle 15 so that the predetermined time can be adjusted and the time mechanism can be started. Hand 5 is now turned back to its zero position and when it reaches the said position the finger 17, by action of arm 16, trips the tripping arbor and alarm is sounded. When the alarm is sounded the alarm spring arbor 12 rotates the tube support 19 until it abuts with its rear side the hand arbor 4 after which the alarm mechanism runs until the stored energy of the spring 13 is entirely consumed during Which alarm the finger 21 again slides on its supporting axle 15.

It is not essentially necessary to provide a controlling finger 21 as a coupling means between the alarm spring arbor 12 and the switch tube support 19. A more simple connection of the tube support and the alarm spring arbor is shown in Figs. 4 to 6. A bearinglike hole 119a is stamped out of the base plate 119 and a slot 11% is provided in the base plate extending to the said bearinglike hole so that the switch support is under frictional contact with the shoulder part 112a of the alarm spring arbor 112. A spring disk 122 is provided on the end of the arbor 112 to guard the tube support 119.

In Fig. 7 and following figures the following details are to be seen: 1 and 2 are the lower and upper plate. 4 is the hand arbor of the time mechanism, the hand which acts at the same time as winding key is indicated at 5. 6 is a friction controlled coupling which allows key to be turned forwards and backwards; 7 is the driving spring of the time mechanism, said spring being attached with its one end to the rotary part of the friction controlled clutch 6, but with its other end to the plate 1. Spring 7 acts, by action of the gear train shown in dotted lines, as a driving means of the time mechanism. 12 is the alarm spring arbor. The latter is provided with a clutch arrangement 14 having-a driving gear 15. 13 is the alarm spring shaft. The train of gears of the alarm mechanism is not shown in the drawings. The driving alarm spring 13 is wound up by action of gears 8 and 9. 18 is the mercury switch tube and 19 its support. The thus far described arrangement corresponds in its principle to the afore described mechanism.

Support 19 is provided with two supporting lugs 219a, 1%, by which the mercury switch 18 is supported; similar rubber rings 20 as shown in Fig. 2 can be used as supporting means. A further lug 219:: is provided in which a slanting slot is provided. Finger 221a of a camlike member 221 acts into the said slot, member 221 being mounted in a friction clutch in a like manner between an abutting disk 22c and a helical spring 22b. Member 221 is provided with an extension which for this purpose is rotatably mounted between helix 22b and disk 220 on the shaft 22a of the alarm spring arbor. The finger 21a can be turned in the slot which in a slanting way is provided in the lug 2190 of the tube support'whereby both tilting of the mercury switch tube and a limitation of the tilting movement of the said tube is accomplished.

Fig. 8 shows the state in which finger 21a has been run up in the slanting slot by which action a tilting of the mercury switch tube causes the closing of the electrical contact.

Fig. 9 shows the state in which the elecertic circuit is interrupted, finger 21a having run towards the lower border of the slot of lug 190.

It depends on how the whole arrangement is designed, whether when alarm is given the electric circuit is closed or interrupted by means of the mercury switch tube. The friction controlled clutch arrangement coupling alarm spring arbor and member 21 only has to be considered as an example. Other types of friction controlled coupling arrangements apparently could be used e. g. a clutch arrangement of the type shown in connection with Figs.

The rotary support of the mercury switch tube is provided by a screw 31 and an angle member 30. Instead of a slanting guiding slot any other slanting guiding shoulder may be provided on the tube support, corresponding abutments being arranged in any suitable manner.

The operation of the described arrangement also is such that when key 5 is rotated the driving spring of the time mechanism and the spring of the alarm mechanism are wound up, the mercury switch tube being shifted by the winding operation into its position which corresponds to the state of sounding an alarm.

If an ordinary alarm clock is provided. with an arrangement according to the described invention and if the said alarm clock is equipped with a winding key attached to the rear end of the alarm spring arbor the winding key itself can be used as supporting means for the tube support.

We claim:

1. In an electric switching alarm clock, a time controlled alarm mechanism comprising a driving spring and a driving spring arbor, said arbor rotating when the alarm is released, a bushing frictionally mounted on the stem of said driving spring arbor, a tiltable mercury switch, abutments for limiting the tilting movements of the said switch, means connecting the said bushing and the mercury switch for actuating the switch upon alarm release, a vertical alarm spring arbor, a finger carrying member mounted on said alarm spring arbor with friction, and a slanting guiding shoulder provided on a supporting means of the tiltable mercury switch tube, said finger coacting with the guiding shoulder to tilt the mercury switch tube into its operating positions.

2. In an electrical time controlled switching device including a time controlled alarm mechanism provided with an alarm driving spring on an alarm spring arbor, a mercury switch tube tiltably mounted to oscillate between two abutments, friction controlled coupling means for coupling the said mercury switch tube with the said alarm spring arbor, a vertical alarm spring arbor, a finger carrying member mounted on said alarm spring arbor with friction, and' a slanting guiding shoulder provided on the supporting means of the tiltable mercury switch tube, said finger sliding in the guiding slot of the mercury switch tube supporting member to tilt the mercury switch tube into its operating positions.

3. In an electric switching alarm clock, a time controlled alarm mechanism comprising a driving spring and a driving spring arbor, said arbor rotating when the alarm is released, a bushing frictionally mounted on the stem of said driving spring arbor, a tiltable mercury switch, abutments for limiting the tilting movements of the said switch, means connecting the said bushing and the mercury switch for actuating the switch upon alarm release, a vertical alarm spring arbor, a finger carrying member mounted on said alarm spring arbor under friction, an abutting disc and a helical spring mounted on the shaft of the alarm spring arbor, and an eyelet shaped extension on the finger carrying member, said eyelet being mounted rotative between the abutting disk and the helical spring, a slanting guiding shoulder being provided on the supporting means of the tiltable mercury switch tube, and. said finger coacting with the guiding shoulder so as to tilt the mercury switch tube into its operating positions.

4. In an electric switching alarm clock having a time mechanism and an alarm mechanism comprising a time indicating and winding hand provided on a hand arbor and having a driving spring connected to said hand arbor, a friction controlled coupling gear connected to the time mechanism of the clock and a fixedly mounted gear, an axle having a driving spring connected thereto, a friction controlled coupling gear operatively connected to the alarm hammer of the alarm mechanism and a fixedly mounted lug member, a rotatably mounted gear provided with a cam, said rotatably mounted gear meshing with the first-mentioned gear fixedly mounted to the said hand arbor, a bushing carrying a finger being mounted frictionally on said axle, a tiltable mercury switch, abutting members for limiting the tilting movements of the mercury switch, and means connecting the said bushing and the mercury switch for actuating the switch upon alarm release.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 774,728 Clark Nov. 8, 1904 1,643,843 Goodhue et al Sept. 27, 1927 2,337,515 Williams Dec. 21, 1943 2,449,799 Alvarez Sept. 21, 1948 

